I only ate a the crepe booth. However, the waiters there were certainly got into the act. While I enjoyed my banana/Nutella crepe, the experience was heightened by interacting with the "French waiter" staff. The man outside of Spain's booth was also fun. I hope he found people to dance with him.

Our group of 4 did about the same as you, 2-3 items from just about every booth.

The one criticism I think I had was that it seemed a bit heavy on desert focus, or maybe those were always the ones that drew my eye. I wasn't as impressed with the crepes, but maybe it was my choice of the Blueberry/lemon. My other letdown was the Irish cheese. It was good cheese, but much too thick and rich, it probably should have been paired with more than just a few crackers, and I think that says a lot from someone who will eat extra sharp cheddar straight up.

My wife and I were also very impressed by the Haloomi. A simple dish, but exceptional flavor and balance.

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Published: July 3, 2013 at 8:03 AM

This is a great article. I attended Epcot's Food and Wine Festival two years ago to celebrate my parents' 50th anniversary and had a mixed experience.

Although I thought it was a clever concept and I enjoyed the various food samples I tried, I thought it was too pricey. Most dishes I tried were in the $5-$6 range, which I think is expensive when there's only two to three bites' worth of food.

More importantly, though, the place was insanely crowded for the "low" season. We went in late October and the pathways were so congested (like Times Square on New Years Eve), we were constantly bumping elbows with other visitors.

I was there the day before it started and saw all the booths and signs. It did look very much like Epcot, similar prices and selections. Too bad I couldn't stay one more day.

I don't know if it could be brought to the Florida parks in the fall. BGT would need it to be in February and March, maybe in conjunction with the Real Music series. I would like that combination very much. That time would be before the pseudo F&W that the Flower and Garden Festival is becoming in Epcot.

I don't know about that. SeaWorld San Diego is getting a multi-million dollar makeover of it entry plaza along with a bunch of new interactive exhibits and touch pools. This shortly after the park finally got the city to let them build the park's first real roller coaster, Manta.

If you want to talk "red headed stepchild" look at SeaWorld San Antonio.